How much/what kind of contribution warrants authorship on a paper?

[linguini]

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I am a clinical research assistant. I'd like to add another authorship to my CV to help my chances in the application process. I have been doing a lot of work on one recent paper, i.e. gathering/reading the literature, working with a biostatistician to update the numbers, multiple edits on the drafts, and formatting the paper for publication. However, I had no part in designing the protocol or collecting the actual data for the study as those parts were completed long before I started the job.

Do you think this warrants authorship on the paper? It'd probably be 4th author. I'd appreciate any feedback 🙂

 

[kevster2001]

I am a clinical research assistant. I'd like to add another authorship to my CV to help my chances in the application process. I have been doing a lot of work on one recent paper, i.e. gathering/reading the literature, working with a biostatistician to update the numbers, multiple edits on the drafts, and formatting the paper for publication. However, I had no part in designing the protocol or collecting the actual data for the study as those parts were completed long before I started the job.

Do you think this warrants authorship on the paper? It'd probably be 4th author. I'd appreciate any feedback 🙂

Yes. 4th author is reasonable if not a bit low depending on how many people gathered the data. Talk to the PI about it, he wont be offended

 

[Virgil]

Depends on your situation. Some PI's are generous and will reward you with an authorship even if your contribution was minimal. Speak about this topic directly with your PI--I did (well, she brought it up to my amazement).

Also, sexual favors. Just kidding.

 

[linguini]

Thanks for the advice. I'm going to ask my PI anyways - can't hurt, even if it's a no. I already have one publication under my belt but I'd like a clinical one to balance it out. The first 3 authors are pretty set so I'd definitely be lower on the list. Not that I'd mind of course.

As for the sexual favors, unfortunately I don't swing that way. Also, she married a chief of anesthesia...not sure I could compete for her heart.

 

[HolyGrail]

I put in 30 hours a week, read articles, took data, wrote my findings down, helped design experiments, for about a year, out of the total 3 years the project was going, and I got a 2nd author out of it. I can't relate to your story though, hope this helps.

 

[foster033]

Talk to your PI and let them know you want to be an author...otherwise you might just get mentioned in the acknowledgments.

 

[sunny1]

It sounds to me like you have a case for authorship. For sure it depends on how generous the PI is though, as the lead author really makes this determination.

Technically - these are the minimum requirements for authorship. However, due to politics people who often don't fully meet these requirements ARE included as authors. Conversely, occasionally people who do meet these requirements aren't listed as authors. The only way to give it a shot is to discuss it with the PI/lead author!

"Authorship credit should be based on 1) substantial contributions to conception and design, or acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data; 2) drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content; and 3) final approval of the version to be published. Authors should meet conditions 1, 2, and 3."
- as stated by ICJME (http://www.icmje.org/#author) which virtually all biomedical journals abide by.

 

[linguini]

It sounds to me like you have a case for authorship. For sure it depends on how generous the PI is though, as the lead author really makes this determination.

Technically - these are the minimum requirements for authorship. However, due to politics people who often don't fully meet these requirements ARE included as authors. Conversely, occasionally people who do meet these requirements aren't listed as authors. The only way to give it a shot is to discuss it with the PI/lead author!

"Authorship credit should be based on 1) substantial contributions to conception and design, or acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data; 2) drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content; and 3) final approval of the version to be published. Authors should meet conditions 1, 2, and 3."
- as stated by ICJME (http://www.icmje.org/#author) which virtually all biomedical journals abide by.

Wow that's really informative. Thanks for posting that!

 

[enjoydrywax]

Ha, I ran about 10 western blots and it got me second author on TWO papers in high impact journals and one 4th author paper in a ****ty journal. Awesome.

Guess you guys better withdraw all your secondaries

 

[schismal]

I am a clinical research assistant. I'd like to add another authorship to my CV to help my chances in the application process. I have been doing a lot of work on one recent paper, i.e. gathering/reading the literature, working with a biostatistician to update the numbers, multiple edits on the drafts, and formatting the paper for publication. However, I had no part in designing the protocol or collecting the actual data for the study as those parts were completed long before I started the job.

Do you think this warrants authorship on the paper? It'd probably be 4th author. I'd appreciate any feedback 🙂

In my lab, no. Not unless your data made it into a figure.

But I don't do clinical research, and every PI is different. If you think you can convince the lab to list you on the paper, then go for it. Just be careful not to come off like a pushy douchebag who's only doing research as a bullet point for their med school apps. PI's hate that.

 

[sleepy425]

ew your case is so borderline. i mean, it depends on what sorts of editing you did with the drafts. if they were simply stylistic edits, that doesn't merit authorship. if you wrote a significant portion of the original draft of the manuscript, then you definitely deserve inclusion as an author. I don't think formatting the paper for publication deserves inclusion because generally journals have templates or pretty straightforward formatting guidelines.

If you made significant contributions to the interpretation of the data, that might merit authorship, although usually contributions to data analysis are simply given acknowledgements.

it depends purely on the PI, i mean, in some groups people are included on manuscripts for minimal contributions, whereas in some groups people are included as authors only if they did at least 20-30% of the work.

my feeling is that, based on what you described, your contribution probably doesn't merit inclusion as an author. That's not to say that the work you did isn't important, it's just that, based on the general standards of authorship, that's not what falls under the guidelines of authorship. I think it definitely merits an acknowledgement, perhaps even one that specifically acknowledges what your contributions were.

good luck!

 

[tabrazinski]

I am a clinical research assistant. I'd like to add another authorship to my CV to help my chances in the application process. I have been doing a lot of work on one recent paper, i.e. gathering/reading the literature, working with a biostatistician to update the numbers, multiple edits on the drafts, and formatting the paper for publication. However, I had no part in designing the protocol or collecting the actual data for the study as those parts were completed long before I started the job.

Do you think this warrants authorship on the paper? It'd probably be 4th author. I'd appreciate any feedback 🙂

i think it depends on where you're doing the research and what their policy is. i work at harvard and they state in the guidelines that you must have made an intellectual contribution to the work. usually this is interpreted as designing experiments, changing protocols, troubleshoooting, etc. from your description, my PI would not grant authorship for your contribution. you would be in the acknowledgements section only.

i'd give it a shot though. can't hurt to try.

 

[doomknight]

Ha, I ran about 10 western blots and it got me second author on TWO papers in high impact journals and one 4th author paper in a ****ty journal. Awesome.

Guess you guys better withdraw all your secondaries

umm, congrats?